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Authors: Katherine Irons

Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy

Oceanborne (29 page)

BOOK: Oceanborne
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She forced her tone to a properly submissive one. “Great one, my son, Prince Caddoc sends you a rare prize. The offering of an unblemished princess of the royal house of Atlantis to honor you. A worthy offering for your altar.”
“A puny-sized offering,” he rumbled. “Hardly worth the trouble.”
“The granddaughter of Poseidon.”
The child stared wide-eyed.
“Show yourself, lord of blood and fire,” Halimeda urged. That would make the brat piss her tunic. The sight of Melqart would strike her deaf and dumb.
A light flickered and hot wind blasted from the spot. The toad image flashed, driving a foul stench before it. Halimeda glanced at the child. Danu's eyes were clenched shut and she was whispering a strange, frightening chant.
“Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon …”
Halimeda swallowed against the tightening constriction in her throat. “See him,” she croaked. “See Lord Melqart's face!”
“My daddy is coming for me. You'll see. And you and the fat frog will be sorry.” The girl smiled and began the chant again. “Hey diddle diddle …”
 
The Rethymo harbor had become a bloodbath. Orion threw himself into the waves, sword drawn. Everywhere the humans who'd been washed into the sea by the receding tidal wave were being decimated by shades.
“Sharks!” a woman on the debris-cluttered shore screamed. “Sharks!” As usual, Orion thought, sharks were being blamed for the massacre.
Alexandros and Morgan were in the water ahead of him, along with twenty or more of their companions. They cut and slashed at the shades, trying in vain to save the drowning victims. A few they were able to surround and drag back to shore, all the while casting an illusion over the poor humans so they'd remember nothing of what had happened in the water. But for most, it was too late.
Human flesh is easily ripped and savaged. And humans possess none of the resilience of Atlanteans. Once mortally wounded, they died. So frenzied was Melqart's horde by the loss of life and the masses of energy rising off the dead bodies that they paid no heed to the warriors. The fanged creatures died in the hundreds on the prongs of razorsharp tridents and whirling blades.
Not all the dead were humans or Melqart's minions. Once, Morgan fell and a half-dozen shades swarmed over him, biting and clawing. Orion and Alexandros cut their way to his side, heedless of their own safety, and both suffered terrible wounds. Three Atlanteans warriors lost their lives in the quarter of an hour that the battle raged, but in the end, the pack was decimated. A few fled, but not far enough. Steely-eyed Atlanteans hotly pursued, hunting them down with ruthless efficiency. None were spared.
“What now?” Alexandros asked, once the last of Melqart's host had ceased to exist.
Morgan clasped a deep wound in his thigh together as Orion wrapped it with a length torn from his cape. “We've done what we can. We go home.”
Alex gazed around at the blood-tinged water. “Three of our own lost, and most of the humans who were unlucky enough to end up in the ocean. Was it worth it?”
“We helped some on land, didn't we?” Orion asked him. His own injuries were bleeding heavily and he was keeping a sharp lookout for real sharks. If they came, his band might be hard-pressed to protect themselves.
Alex shrugged. “Three good men dead, men I've known and fought beside for centuries. Hardly a fair trade.”
“But, we won.” Their younger half-brother Paris had conducted himself well. He'd shown consistent bravery, tempered with sufficient caution to keep him alive, and Orion was proud of him. Paris bore a gash down one leg and his right hand was badly bitten, but he was grinning. “We killed them all. Not one escaped.”
Alexandros threw him a hard look. “You've faced shades before.”
Paris nodded. “Not this many, but yes, we fought them at my first—”
“But there were more of them today, and the odds were not so good for us?”
Paris glanced at Orion and then back at Alex. “True, but—”
Alexandros rubbed at the deep bite on his neck. He was bleeding from a dozen places, and his sword was stained black. “How many of them do you think we killed?”
Paris considered. “Two, three hundred, maybe more.”
“Closer to five hundred, little brother,” Morgan said quietly. “And how many more can Melqart command?”
“A lot more.”
There was no humor in Alex's brusque laugh. “We lost three men against five hundred. But Melqart will send thousands more, maybe tens of thousands. And he has the ability to create more at will. They could easily overwhelm us, destroy our army, and leave Atlantis and our colonies helpless.”
“Our women and children, our priests and priestesses … our farmers and scientists and mathematicians,” Morgan said.
“So we won't fight?” Paris asked.
“We'll fight,” Orion assured him. “We will fight so long as any of us can stand and wield a sword. Whether there will be enough of us to matter—that's the question.”
 
“Father, you must do something,” Morwena pleaded. “How can you allow your own grandchild to be snatched away by that evil woman and do nothing?”
“Danu is so small. And she is precious to me and to your son,” Rhiannon added. “You must send a scouting party to—”
Poseidon rose and embraced his daughter-in-law. “Don't tell me what I must do. I know my duty as king. Don't you think my heart is equally torn by this treachery?”
The family was gathered in Korinna's private sitting room: the king and queen, Lady Athena, Lord Mikhail, and Princess Eudora, as well as other women that Morwena had whispered to Elena were minor wives or concubines. Dozens of children milled around, climbing on Korinna's lap, being fed grapes and shrimp by their mothers or rocked by nurses.
It was the first time that Elena had met the high queen and Orion's stepmother had greeted her with warmth and affection. But, clearly, everyone was shocked by Danu's abduction and Halimeda's invasion of Rhiannon and Morgan's apartments, not to mention the attack on Lady Athena.
“You can't just stand by and see—” Morwena began.
“I do what I must!” Poseidon insisted. “Morgan, Orion, and Alexandros will be back soon. The other groups that went out to assist the humans returned as well … most of them. Our count of dead is over thirty, and another six are sorely wounded.”
Queen Korinna's face whitened. “Paris?”
“Safe,” the king assured her. “By the grace of the Creator. None in this room have lost brothers or sons, but others will mourn in our city. And I can't mount a rescue mission until I have consulted Morgan and my generals. It may be a trap, a lure to destroy more of our soldiers. As much as I care for Danu, I must think like a king and not a grandfather. She is one. I must balance her well-being against that of many.”
“But it's Danu!” Morwena said. “If you won't, I'll—”
Her mother raised a hand and touched her lips. “Peace, daughter. Have faith in your father's wisdom. If Halimeda took our Danu, she took her for a reason. We must know that reason before we rush blindly in to save her.”
“Acting without thought could bring about her death,” Lord Mikhail said. “I've sent out scouts to find where Halimeda took her. We should know more shortly.”
Elena's gaze returned to linger on the nobleman. Tonight, he didn't look as much like her father as he had when she'd first seen him on the staircase, but there was something … something that drew her to him. Tonight, he seemed sterner, more distant and reserved, and his appearance seemed different. But was she seeing him as he truly was? Orion's tricks of illusion had made her suspicious.
Knowledge that he was returning soon was a relief, but worry about Rhiannon's little girl chilled her. This place Atlantis was more complicated than she'd ever imagined, just as her feelings for Orion were complicated. He'd given her his word, and then deceived her again. Could she ever trust him? Had what they'd shared been only an infatuation ? Maybe this was all a dream and the man she'd believed she was in love with was as much an illusion as her attempts to succeed in her chosen field of archeology.
CHAPTER 27
“
E
lena?” “ She opened her eyes. Had someone called her name? Or had she been dreaming? She lay in a heap of sweet-smelling comforters in an enormous bed in the guest wing of Rhiannon and Morgan's apartments—more palace than a suite of rooms. How long she'd been asleep, Elena wasn't sure, but she felt rested. She stretched like a lazy cat and gazed around at the elegant bedchamber, still not sure what had awakened her out of such a deep sleep.
This chamber, richly but tastefully furnished, boasted crystal domes along one entire wall in place of windows. Beyond the domes stretched the garden court with its ever-changing view of a coral reef inhabited by hundreds of exotic species of fish, plants, reptiles, and mammals. The room was softly lit, both from artificial stars set into the high ceiling and from the blue-green light streaming in from the garden.
Elena stretched, realizing how much better she felt for the solitude and rest she'd enjoyed in this comfortable bed. A tray of delicious-smelling food and drink waited at a bedside table, and fresh clothing lay draped across a marble bench. She yawned and rolled her head, easing the kinks out of her neck. She hated to admit it, but she could get used to this luxury, to the smiling servants, and the beautiful garments that appeared out of nowhere without lifting a hand.
The guest chamber offered other delights that she'd sampled before she'd slept. A panel of different colored and shaped shells stood close to the bed, and touching the various shells brought forth a myriad of strange and peaceful music. Some were whale songs; others the cries of seals and seabirds, or crashing surf. What intrigued her most were the instruments that poured forth notes touching chords deep inside her.
A sunken bath filled one corner of the room. Warm mineral water with a light, refreshing scent bubbled up from the bottom of a marble pool surrounded by decorative tiles which might have been excavated from a Roman villa. The wall facing the foot of the bed contained dozens of cubby-holes filled with scrolls, a library arranged much like the one Morwena had shown her when she'd first arrived.
In these unique books, all translated into English, she'd found histories of ancient civilizations, works of poetry, mathematics, science, and medicine. One scroll she'd read until she could no longer keep her eyes open, was a fantastic first-person account of the arrival of a fleet of starships from a distant solar system.
“Elena.”
She sat up and turned toward the voice, hoping that Orion was really there. Grinning, he crossed the distance between them in four strides and gathered her in his arms.
“Orion.” He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He had much to answer for, and she'd been prepared to be angry with him when he appeared, but at this moment, she relished the joy of his lips on hers and his hands touching her. “I've missed you.”
“And I you,” he answered huskily.
She looked at him. He looked much the worse for wear. His eyes were bloodshot and his cuirass marred by slashes and tooth marks. Healing cuts and bruises covered every inch of his skin. “You're hurt,” she said.
“Nothing to concern yourself with.” He hugged her tightly and kissed her again. “I can't stay. The troops have been called up. We're going into battle, but I couldn't leave without seeing you.”
“Battle? I don't understand. And why didn't you tell me where you were going when you left?” She swallowed the lump in her throat and cupped his face between her palms. “Morwena said that there was a tidal wave that hit Crete. What of my crew? Are they safe?”
“The captain of your charter boat took the two women out to sea. They had time to get away. They should be all right. Vessels not at anchor and away from the shore are usually unharmed. Stefanos was at the house with an older woman. Is she a servant?”
Elena nodded. “Our cook. You're sure the wave didn't reach the house?”
“The lower floors may have been flooded, but the house is strong. It will stand.” He pressed something into her hand.
Elena looked down to see the diamond ring that Greg had given her.
“It's yours, isn't it? It must be valuable,” Orion said.
“How did you get it?”
“I wanted to retrieve the gold coin that you took from the Phoenician ship. It's evil, and it needs to go back to its rightful owner. It might save lives if I return it. Alex and I looked for the site, Elena, but we couldn't find it. I think it was buried again in the earthquake.”
Her heart raced. The ship that she'd put all her hopes on was gone, as lost to the world as it had been for twenty-five hundred years. She waited, expecting to feel crushing disappointment. But, oddly, it didn't come. All she felt was a sense of relief. “Did you find the coin? It was in the box with the ring.”
“Yes. I have it, but I won't give it to you. It's too dangerous.”
“I don't want it, and I don't want the ring either. It was given to me by a man I thought I might want to marry. But I was wrong. He was wrong.”
“I don't want your ring, at least not that one. It's yours. Do with it what you want.”
“I will.” The image of another ring suddenly rose in her mind. “Wait … there
was
a ring …” she began. “An old ring that …”
Orion smiled at her. “This ring?” He took her left hand and slid the gold ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.
“How … Why?” She looked down at the ring. This felt right. Warmth bloomed in her chest. “I don't understand,” she said. “I found it in an old wooden boat, and then it came back to me at …”
“It's very old and very precious,” he said. “And it was always meant to be yours.”
Her throat tightened. “I love you, Orion. I do, but there's so much about you that I don't …”
“Trust me.”
“How can I? Whatever I see, whatever …” She sighed in exasperation. “What am I supposed to think? You promised me that you wouldn't lie to me anymore, that there'd be no more deceit between us.”
“If this is about not telling you where I was going, I couldn't. I couldn't take you to the rescue operation any more than I can take you to war.” He gazed at her with those haunting green eyes, and she had to steel herself to remain firm.
“I don't know what kind of women you're used to, Orion, but I've never been the subservient type. I won't be controlled. I won't be ordered around and
taken care of
, and I won't be lied to.”
A hint of a smile passed over his sensual lips. “You've spent time with Morwena and Rhiannon. Do they seem subservient to you?”
“No, but nothing here is as it seems. It's worse than the fairy kingdom or whatever that place was. There was an old woman that they called a witch. Halimeda, they said her name was. Morwena is convinced she tried to cast a spell over her, and she shot her with an arrow.” She shook her head. “This isn't normal behavior. Not by any stretch.”
“You're right. I've brought you here, dumped all this on you, and you don't know what's real and what's not.”
“Rhiannon and Morgan's daughter, Danu, is missing. They believe that Halimeda took her. Is that possible?”
His jaw tightened. “Yes, it is.”
“Are you going to do something about it? Aren't you going to try to get her back?”
Orion swallowed. “I wish I could, but I can't. Not now. My command is waiting. We're going into battle against Melqart's forces. When I come back—if I come back, I'm going to ask you a question.”
She gripped his hand. “But what about little Danu?”
“If we win the war, the chances are that we'll get her back safely. For now, Poseidon has to balance her life against that of hundreds—maybe thousands. If Halimeda took her, Danu could be anywhere. Lord Mikhail's spies are searching for her. Once we have proof where she is, there may be—”
“Lord Mikhail? I've seen him, Orion. Do you know him?”
“He's my Aunt Eudora's consort.”
“How long have you known him?”
“Does that matter?”
“It does to me. He's not who he says he is.” She hesitated. “You'll think I've lost my wits, but I could swear … His voice … something about him.” She took a deep breath. “I think he's my father.”
“Mikhail? A human?”
“I'm a human. I'm here, aren't I? Logically, it's not possible, but I'm here, under the sea with you, and I have to accept that. So, why couldn't the same thing happen to someone else? My father vanished at sea. Maybe he was captured by Atlanteans, turned into one of you by illusion or magic or whatever you do. I've tried to speak to him, but he won't talk to me. Tell me that I'm crazy, Orion. Or is it possible?”
“You're telling me that you believe that Mikhail was once human?”
“I don't know what I'm telling you, but I have to know the truth, and you're the only one I can turn to. Morwena wouldn't believe me. And if he is my father, he must be brainwashed or something, because he's avoiding me.”
He hugged her again. “Mikhail can't be who you think he was. If he was, I'd know it.”
“Will you ask your father—someone who'd know for certain?”
“There's no time, Elena, not before I leave. But I promise I'll find the truth for you.”
“And you'll tell me? No more secrets?” When Orion was away from her, she could make sensible choices, but when he was here, she wanted nothing more than to make wild, passionate love to him. She wanted to hold him and never let him go. Everything she'd worked for all her life was nothing compared to this man. It was impossible, but it was true. “Don't leave me,” she begged him.
“I don't want to, Elena. But I have to do this. I'm a soldier. This is what I do, what I was born to do. If I don't fight to defend you—to defend all I love—I'm useless. I couldn't look at my image in a mirror. I couldn't live with myself.”
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. “If you keep leaving me, there's no future for us.”
“Be patient, just a little while longer. Wait for me. When I return, I promise things will be different.” He turned and walked away from the bed. She slid down and followed him. “I have to go now, but there's one thing I can share with you.”
Her eyes widened. “Yes.”
He took both of her hands. “Close your eyes. And when I tell you, open them.”
“Why? What …”
“Trust me. I'm giving you what you want. I'm showing you who and what I am—what I really look like. No more illusions between us.”
She began to tremble, frightened of what she didn't understand, afraid that the truth she wanted so badly would destroy everything.
“Open your eyes.”
Slowly, she did. And what she saw nearly knocked her off her feet. The man in front of her was Orion, but more than the Orion she'd come to know and love. Not exactly human, but beautiful all the same. His body was covered with a pattern of tiny scales, and his skin, if it was skin, had a faint blue tinge. His golden hair fell long and curling around his impossibly wide and powerful shoulders. He looked like a Greek statue of a god come to life.
“Ohhh.” It came out of her mouth as a long sigh. “You're … you're …”
“Atlantean,” he answered. “Not human, but another species of humanoid.”
Tiny webs joined the base of his fingers and toes, but the sight of them didn't repulse her. Rather, she stared in awe. “You're wonderful,” she whispered. The Grecian armor remained, glittering gold and silver. He carried the same sword that she'd seen, black and shiny, huge and frightening. But most of all, she was struck by the perfection of his face and form. “A superhero,” she said.
He chuckled. “Hardly that. But we do possess strength beyond that of your kind.”
Apollo,
she thought.
I've been sleeping with Apollo. No wonder he's such a fantastic lover. He isn't human.
“I don't frighten you in this state?”
She smiled. “Hardly,” she teased. “But why did you hide from me all this time? Or, is this an illusion, too, and you actually look like an oversized squid?”
He laughed. “This is it, Elena. And I take no credit for my appearance. Eons of superior genes and an attractive mother.”
“And your brother Alex. Is he this beautiful?”
“He's my twin. He'd tell you that he's the sexier of the two of us, but don't believe him. Alexandros likes to exaggerate, especially about the size of his … his attributes.”
“I suppose Morwena is some kind of superhero, as well? And Rhiannon?” She didn't want Orion to go. If she could just keep him talking, delay him, perhaps …
BOOK: Oceanborne
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